Causes of the Growing Concern about Gender Parity in China in the 21st Century

Abstract

In recent years, gender has become a hot topic, and the frequency and intensity of discussions on gender topics on the Internet have increased significantly. The authors attempt to analyze, classify, and enumerate the causes of such phenomena through an interdisciplinary approach from the perspectives of economics, politics, psychology, science and technology, and history, with the goal of explaining the impact of social presence on social consciousness regarding gender matters. First, the authors state that the worsening living conditions of Chinese women and the growing gender gap since the outbreak of Covid-19 have led many to realize that our society is far from equal. Yet in the longer term, the fast-growing living conditions of the Chinese people have also granted people more leisure to think about things other than sustenance, indirectly leading to growing concerns about gender parity. Next, in addition to economic development, the advancement in media technology and popularization also had effects on concern for gender matters, providing a large root for discussion, accelerating the exchange of information, weakening the national discourse homogeneity, yet at the same time creating information cocoons, leading to the formation of echo-chambers, the polarization of opinion, balkanization of online spaces and more hostile tones. Finally, with an explanation regarding policy and education, and the accompanying changes in the social and political atmosphere, the author concludes that the increasing concern about gender matters in China in recent years is a result of a variety of factors, providing us with a reference and a way to view gender parity in China and other social issues.